Foot-rest for chairs.



C. W. FERTIG & A. J. MAY.

FOOT REST FOR CHAIRS. APPLICATION FILED MAY 18. 1915.

1,199,976. Patented. 0@t.'3,1916.

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C. W. FERTIG & A. 1. MAY.

FOOT REST FOR CHAIRS.

MPLICATION FILED MAY !8, 1915.

Patented Oct. 3,1916.

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IIVI/EIVTOR' CZdZZS WZ eTZ UNITED sra'rns PATENT CHARLES, w. rnnris AND ADAM J. AY, or nooHEsrEn, NEW YORK, ASSIGNORS 'ro AD/ELI'NA BITTER SHUM'WAY AND LAURA BITTER, DOING :B sINEss AND TRAD- ING As BITTER DENTAL MANUFACTURING COMPANY, or nocrrnsrnn, NEW YORK.

FOOT-BEST FOR CHAIRS.

Application filed May 18, 1915. Serial No. 28,821.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, CHARLES l/V. FERTIG and A M J. .MAY, of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Foot-Rests for Chairs; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and to the reference -numerals marked thereon.

Our present invention relates to foot-rests such as are used on dental chairs and it has for its particular object to provide a footrest embodying a plurality of relatively adjustable foot sections which not only enable the chair to be used as usual, but which may be adjustedto support a patients feet in a position most favorable to the successful administration of anesthetics.

A further object is to provide a construction whereby the operation of raising and lowering a foot section may be facilitated.

To these and other ends the invention consists in certain improvements and combinations of parts, all as will be hereinafter more fully described, the novel features being pointed out in the claims at the end of the specification.

In the drawings: Figure 1. is a side elevation of a portion of a dental chair provided with a foot-rest constructed in accordance with our inveniton; Fig.2 is a plan view th re f; st. '3 .i-S ti a sectio a iew showing the foot section elevated; Fig. 4;.

is a view of the under side of the foot sections, and Fig. 5 is a sectional view on the line a-a of Fig. 3.

Similar reference numerals throughout the several views indicate the same parts.

In administering anesthetics it has been found that the patient will be more susceptible thereto, if he is not allowed the opportunity to exert his strength, as by bracing his feet on the ordinary foot-rest.

In the construction of the present invention provision is made to move the foot-rest to such a position that an unobstructed surface is oii'ered, rendering it impossible to obtain a purchase for the feet.

In the drawings the seat 1 of the chair carries a pair of spaced supporting brackets 2 depending therefrom, each having a hori- Specification of Letters Patent.

Pflatendsed Got. 3, 1916.

zontally extending portion 3 and an upwardly inclined forward end 4. A rear foot section 5 is pivotally mounted at its rear end 6 on the bracket and normally occupies a horizontal position, resting on the portion 3. In front of-the section 5, a forward foot section 6 is pivoted at its forward end at the upper ends of the portions 4. The sections 5 and 6 are operatively connected at their meeting edges, so that movement of one of the sections is transmitted to the other, by lugs 7 on each section projecting beneath the edge of the other section.

The sections are elevated to the position shown in Fig. 3 by means of a shaft 8 ournaled in the portions 3 and carrying arms 9 which engage the under side of the section 5 when the shaft 8 is rocked. When the arms 9 are moved to the position shown in Fig. 3 one of them strikes a spring buffer 10 on the under side of the section 5, thereby limiting the motion of the arms which in this position sustain the weight of both sections. Inasmuch as the forward section is pivoted at a point higher than the pivot of the rear section the sections, when moved into the same plane form an unobstructed forwardly inclined surface which offers no shoulder against which a patient might brace himself. The shaft 8' may be conveniently rocked by a bell crank 11 carried by a shaft12 extending between the brackets 2' at the rear of the portion 3, the lever being connected by a link 13 to a crank arm 14 on the rock shaft 8.

In conjunction with the foot-rest olecribed we have also provided a supplemental childs foot-rest 15 pivoted at 16 to the bracket 2 and held in elevated position by a latch 17 pivoted at 18 to the foot-rest, said latch being notched at 19 to engage an abutment on the bracket, in this case the shaft 12. In order to disengage the latch to permit lowering of the foot-rest we provide means operable from the side of the foot section, which cooperates with the latch to rock it about its pivot 18. This means in the present instance embodies a sliding rod 20 guided in lugs 21 on the under side of the rest and provided at its exterior end with a push button 22. A cone point 23 on the inner end of therod acts as a cam portion to engage the latch when the rod is moved inwardly against the tension of a spring 24 and thereby disengage it from the abutment 12.

I-leretofore the foot sections of chairs have been confined within the limits of the side supporting brackets. Inasmuch as the brackets in this construction are subject to considerable wear caused by the abrasion of the shoes of persons entering or leaving the chair it has been the practice to nickel the exterior surface of the brackets, resulting in a gaudy appearance on account of the considerable bright area. In our present invention we make the foot sections 5 and 6 sufiiciently wide to project beyond the supporting brackets 2, and the edges 25 of the foot sections being then the parts subjected to wear are provided with the nickel finish, yet without the obtrusive effect mentioned above on account of the edges being narrow.

We claim as our invention:

1. In a foot-rest for chairs the combination with a bracket, of a plurality of foot sections supported thereby, normally occupying a position at an angle to each other, the sections being movable to occupy a position in which their upper sides are arranged in an unobstructed surface, and retaining means for holding the sections in said position.

2. In a foot-rest for chairs, the combination with a bracket, of a rear foot section pivoted to the bracket at its rear end and normally occupying a horizontal position, a front section arranged in a normally inclined position with its inner edge in juxtaposition to the forward edge of the horizontal section and pivoted at its forward end to the bracket, operative connections between the sections at their meeting edges whereby movement of one of the sections is communicated to the other, and retaining means cooperating with one of the sections to maintain them in elevated position.

3. In a foot-rest for chairs the combination with a bracket, of a pair of foot sections pivoted at their remote edges to the bracket, and normally occupying a position at an angle to each other, the sections being movable to occupy a position in which their upper sides occupy the same plane by raising both sections and retaining means for holding the sections in said position.

4. In a foot-rest for chairs, the combination with a bracket, of a forward and a rear foot section movably supported thereon, the forward foot section being movable about a point higher than the point about which the rear foot section moves, the sections being movable to occupy a position in which their upper sides occupy the same plane by rocking both sections and retaining means for holding the sections in said position.

5. In a foot-rest for chairs, the combination with a bracket, of a pair of foot sections supported thereby, one of said sections normally occupying a horizontal position and the other an inclined position, the secti ons being movable to bring them into a position in which they form an unobstructed forwardly inclined surface, and means for holding the sections in said position.

6. The combination with a supporting member, of a pair of adjacently mounted and connected rests independently pivoted upon the supporting member at points beyond their adjacent edges and normally inclined relatively to each other, and means movably mounted upon the supporting member and operatively engaging one of said rests for the purpose of moving the rests to a position substantially in the same plane.

CHARLES W. FERTIG. ADAM J. MAY.

W'itnesses:

Gr. WILLARD R1011, RUssnLL B. GRIFFITH.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. 0. 

